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An icy breeze seemed to creep up out of nowhere, climbing the balcony and chilling Lyle's spine.
Facing down a vicious dog that delighted in biting off human hands, he wasn't sure if he and Ralph could make it out alive.
It was imperative to tame it before Ralph made contact with Chaichai.
Glancing at the impassioned Mr. Dragon, there was the breakthrough.
"Mr. Dragon..."
The two of them had practically dominated the tea party, which had morphed into a gathering for dog-lovers. The gentleman sat aside, occasionally chiming in with a few topics, while Alianna sat like a puppet, perhaps counting stars behind her veil.
Chaichai's dietary preferences, the slick feel of its fur, and the differences in its barking when it was happy or lonely—Lyle sifted through a pile of miscellaneous details to extract the information he needed.